Airen Cracken + Cluster Missiles + Predator + Munitions Failsafe

Step 1 - Target Lock something

Step 2 - Launch Missiles

Step 3 - Use Predator to turn hits into misses

Step 4 - Grant someone an action

Step 5 - Second Cluster attack

Step 6 - Repeat 3 and 4

Step 7 - Munitions Failsafe to keep missiles in the tubes.

Step 8 - Duck anything your opponent throws at you

/Apologies if someone already stumbled onto this.

No need to apologise - this has been mentioned before but agreed upon that it is not a viable strategy. I don't understand how step 8 is suppose to work, you spent your action on a TL, there is no way 2 evade dice is going to duck much of anything. The real issue is, this is a game about doing damage, why would you spend so many points to not do any damage? The actions are just not worth it (and you have to keep being able to TL and have ships close by to get anything for it).

Edit: that's 27 points just to net you 2 free actions. 2 PtLs would also net you 2 free actions and would cost 6 points.

No need to apologise - this has been mentioned before but agreed upon that it is not a viable strategy. I don't understand how step 8 is suppose to work, you spent your action on a TL, there is no way 2 evade dice is going to duck much of anything. The real issue is, this is a game about doing damage, why would you spend so many points to not do any damage? The actions are just not worth it (and you have to keep being able to TL and have ships close by to get anything for it).

Step 8 means to literally duck. Like out of the way. In case your opponent chucks something at your head.

And while you may not strike damage with your Cracken, you're all but ensuring everyone else does. TL + Focus for everyone!

If Cracken fires and lands 1 damage, is it worth the trade if his action granting gives 2 ships the chance to do 1 extra damage a piece? This game is about doing damage efficiently.

I know we hate Expose, but it makes me ponder something like:

Cracken + Predator + Cluster + Munitions Failsafe

Biggs

Chewbacca + Expose

By all means give it a whirl, it could work out well or could fail miserably, you won't know until you try. I'm just letting you know this is widely agreed upon to be a bad move. There are a lot of "ifs" in order to get this to work. Personally I would just keep back at range 3 on the first attack to stay out of range of the cluster missiles. You might get it to work once, but then what? I'm probably going to k-turn then if you do that means no TL for you, no second attack with cluster missiles. You'll have to wait another turn and he may be gone by then.

Edit: Personally I think airen cracken + cluster missiles makes for a great alpha strike. Bring him in with 2 other cheap low ps missile boats, have them both focus, then once cracken fires he lets both low ps ships TL (elminating the issue of low PS ships trying to TL higher PS ships).

It's clever, but is purposely missing an attack really a good strategy? I like clusters on Cracken, I think they are his missile of choice, but when I shoot them I want to do damage, the extra actions are just gravy. Keep in mind that Cracken can only pass to range 1, after the first exchange will you be able to reliably have a target Cracken can shoot clusters at, and have 2 ships in range 1 of him to give out two actions? Probably not. Maximize your damage with the missiles, killing a ship is better than a clever action trick.

It's clever, but it's more clever than useful.

Too many points on a squishy ship. Zs can be one-shotted quite easily by Phantoms and HLCs. They are everywhere now too.

It's clever, but is purposely missing an attack really a good strategy?

Only if the two actions you grant do more damage than the missed attack opportunity plus the opportunity cost of the 8 points spent on the combo. I'm not going to try to attach math to the proposition, but I would be extremely reluctant to say "yes".

It's clever, but is purposely missing an attack really a good strategy?

Only if the two actions you grant do more damage than the missed attack opportunity plus the opportunity cost of the 8 points spent on the combo. I'm not going to try to attach math to the proposition, but I would be extremely reluctant to say "yes".

Or even worse, you attempt to do 0 damage by rerolling to get 0 hits, but sneak 1 hit through on your second attack. Then you've completely wasted your missiles, and haven't given away any extra actions. That a very real possibility.

Basically, designing a ship to never deal damage is a terrible idea. For those 26 points, a dagger with FCS will get you much further.

The best tick I've seen with Cracken is this

Cracken + Wingman

Biggs + R7

+ rest of squad

On approach Cracken can give Biggs a TL that he can use for defense or offense. After Biggs and Cracken K-Turn you remove Biggs stress with Wingman, then give Biggs a focus or TL which ever seems best. I find these to be way more useful then failing to hit with a cluster missile so you can gain 2 actions.

Edit: Personally I think airen cracken + cluster missiles makes for a great alpha strike. Bring him in with 2 other cheap low ps missile boats, have them both focus, then once cracken fires he lets both low ps ships TL (elminating the issue of low PS ships trying to TL higher PS ships).

This is a fun combo I think I'm gonna steal.

This is why Munitions Failsafe is a bad card. If there is a chance that your missile with at least 4 attack dice is not going to hit then don't shoot it. Munitions Failsafe does not mitigate bad luck, it promotes bad play.

The game is far too short for any 'oh oops I missed' shenanigans to be viable in anything other than epic play, and even then you should be shooting your missiles at Huge ships who can't dodge.

Airen Cracken + Cluster Missiles + Predator + Munitions Failsafe

Step 1 - Target Lock something

Step 2 - Launch Missiles

Step 3 - Use Predator to turn hits into misses

Step 4 - Grant someone an action

Step 5 - Second Cluster attack

Step 6 - Repeat 3 and 4

Step 7 - Munitions Failsafe to keep missiles in the tubes.

Step 8 - Duck anything your opponent throws at you

/Apologies if someone already stumbled onto this.

Seems like a lot of faffing about just to hand someone an action.

Not sure if anyone mentioned this but, that first action you enable could be Dutch. When Dutch gets his target lock, then you could let Cracken acquire his target lock. Then he could modify his second cluster missiles attack, much like Vessery would.